LIFE OF WILSON. Lb 



and walked up to this spacious sanctuary of literature. I could amuse you 

 with some of my reflections on this occasion, but room will not permit. Dr. 

 Smith, the president, and Dr. M'Lean, Professor of Natural History, were the 

 only two I found at home. The latter invited me to tea, and both were much 

 pleased and surprised with the appearance of the work. I expected to receive 

 some valuable information from M'Lean, on the ornithology of the country, 

 but I soon found, to my astonishment, that he scarcely knew a sparroic from a 

 woodpecker. At his particular request, I left a specimen of the plates with 

 him ; and from what passed between us, I have hopes that he will pay more 

 attention to this department of his profession than he has hitherto done. 1 

 visited several other literary characters; and, at about half-past eight, the Pilot 

 coming up, I took my passage in it to New Brunswick, which we reached at 

 midnight, and where I immediately went to bed. 



" The next morning was spent in visiting the few gentlemen who were likely 

 to patronize my undertaking; I had another task of the same kind at Eliza- 

 bethtown ; and, without tiring you with details that would fill a volume. I shall 

 only say that I reached Newark that day, having gratified the curiosity, and 

 feasted the eyes, of a great number of people, who repaid me with the most 

 extravagant compliments, which I would have very willingly exchanged for a 

 few simple subscriplions. I spent nearly the whole of Saturday in Newark, 

 where my book attracted as many starers as a bear or a mammoth would have 

 done ; and I arrived in New York the same evening. The next day I wrote 

 a number of letters, enclosing copies of the prospectus, to diflFerent gentlemen 

 in town. In the afternoon of Tuesday I took my book, and waited on each of 

 those gentlemen to whom I had written the preceding day. Among these I 

 found some friends, but more admirers. The Professors of Columbia College 

 expressed much esteem for my performance. The professor of languages, 

 being a •Scotchman, and also a Wilson, seemed to feel all the pride of national 

 partiality so common to his countrymen ; and would have done me any favor in 

 his power. I spent the whole of this week traversing the streets, from one 

 particular house to another, till, I believe, I became almost as well known as 

 the public crier, or the clerk of the market, for I could frequently perceive 

 gentlemen point me out to others as I passed with my book undai- my arm. 



"On Sunday morning, October 2d, I went on board a packet for New 

 Haven, distant about ninety miles. The wind was favorable, and carried us 

 rapidly through Hellgate (a place I had no intention of calling at in my tour), 

 on the other side of which we found upwards of sixty vessels beating up for 

 a passage. The Sound here, between Long Island and the main, is narrowed 

 to less than half a mile, and filled with small islands, and enormous rocks 

 under water, among which the tide roars and boils violently, and has proved 

 fatal to many a seaman. At high water it is nearly as smooth as any other 

 place, and can then be safely passed. The country, on the New York side, is 

 ornamented with handsome villas, painted white, and surrounded by great 

 numbers of Lombardy poplars. The breeze increasing to a gale, in eight 

 hours from the time we set sail the high red-fronted mountain of New Haven 

 rose to our view. In two hours more we landed; and, by the stillness and 



